Caring
by What's'SupWitChu
Summary: Sherlock becomes agitated by Anthea incessantly texting him because she is worried about Mycroft not getting any rest. Will Sherlock go and help Mycroft just as his brother has helped him so many times before?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello chaps, hope you're all well! Another story from me and it looks like it's going to be 2 possibly 3 parts. I feel like Mycroft is always indirectly showing how he cares about Sherlock, so I thought a story about Sherlock doing the same for Mycroft would be good :) I hope you enjoy the first chapter and I apologise deeply for anything too out of character. **

**If you find the time to review then please do :) Thanks for reading! Xx**

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**Caring**

Sherlock growled dangerously like a trapped animal when his phone buzzed with the tenth text message he had been sent within the hour. John looked up from his newspaper and watched with a raised eyebrow as this time Sherlock decided to respond to the text, his fingers pounding on the keyboard heatedly.

"I take it Anthea hasn't given in yet?" John asked with a sigh as he folded his paper and put it on the table.

"No, or whatever the _hell_ she's calling herself today" Sherlock replied with deep frustration. "What's that phrase people use? Out of sight out of mind" he said as he looked around for somewhere to hide his phone, before placing it under the skull on the mantelpiece.

"Yes, that is what we mere mortals would suggest" John quipped as Sherlock went back to his laptop "but I think with you it's just going to keep being a pain"

"Mmm" was Sherlock's uninterested response as he continued his research.

"What exactly does she want anyway?" John asked curiously; he hadn't asked before as only now had Sherlock started to make a real fuss about it.

"Oh, she wants me to talk to Mycroft" Sherlock replied with lack of concern and a flippant hand wave "Apparently he hasn't stopped working for three days straight and that's bothering her for some reason"

"Well I should think so" John frowned "He's probably not getting any rest…"

Sherlock swivelled around in his chair to frown back at John "So what? You know that when I'm on a case I don't stop for days and I'm perfectly fine" he said this in a slightly gloating manner as if he had a much stronger stamina than Mycroft and therefore his brother was weak in comparison.

John rolled his eyes "You're not, _just fine, _you leave it to me to make sure you don't collapse!" he argued and Sherlock simply sniffed in disproval before turning back around and pretending to become engrossed with work again. "And unfortunately your body is quite use to it" the doctor continued "Clearly Mycroft isn't or else Anthea wouldn't be so worried"

Sherlock paused and straightened up in his chair. "A fair observation" he stated calmly, and for a moment John thought he had won but then; "coming from you anyway, but I'm still not going, I have more important things to do"

"More important than the well-being of your own brother?" John asked with a hint of surprise in his tone. Sure, the brothers fought, but Sherlock couldn't hate Mycroft that much, could he?

"If Anthea is so worried then she will sort it" Sherlock stated a little coldly, and that was that.

John simply sighed and went to make himself a cup of tea; he honestly didn't know why he even bothered to _try_ and reason with Sherlock sometimes.

Once John was in the other room, Sherlock stopped scrolling through his laptop and sat back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other and placing his hands together under his chin like he always did when he was thinking hard.

It would be so unlike Mycroft to take poor care of himself, God knows he'd scolded Sherlock enough over the years for doing the same thing, so the younger Holmes knew whatever his brother must be working on now was of the upmost importance, probably of importance to the nation. It was also clear by the number of times Anthea had texted him throughout the day – thirty four to be exact – that Mycroft's condition must be bad and getting worse.

The fact Anthea had not called Sherlock would imply she was staying in the same room as Mycroft most of the time, not just to work but also to keep an eye on him and probably pester him to take a break, but Mycroft was just as stubborn as Sherlock. However, Anthea herself must be fairly rested if she could text coherently and systematically, although it could also be down to several years with a BlackBerry addiction.

Even with these facts Sherlock remained reluctant to actually go and talk to his brother because there were plenty of times he had needed Mycroft when he was younger, but his brother had been away at university or working.

Mycroft rarely made time for Sherlock when he first left and that was when they had started to grow apart. Sherlock had felt abandoned, and although he silently appreciated Mycroft's efforts to make it up to him – like the extra security precautions – he still couldn't forgive his brother for the months of not making contact. That was when the drug use had started… Besides, Sherlock also particularly loathed Mycroft's overprotectiveness at times, just like when he was trying to convenience Sherlock to take better care of himself.

John came back into the room moments later, and Sherlock quickly went back to work as he didn't want the doctor to know that Anthea's messages had finally managed to distract him. _Doesn't mean I care though _Sherlock told himself vehemently.

"Anthea is texting _me _now" John said as he strode over and practically waved his phone in Sherlock's face. "This is ridiculous, we are going to Mycroft's" he said in a tone which Sherlock suspected he'd used in the army to give orders.

"I can't, I told you I'm busy" Sherlock said.

"Sherlock, you haven't even got a case! You're just looking for trouble" John retorted.

"And that's exactly what I'll get if I go and see Mycroft, and it's not the kind of trouble I want" the younger Holmes argued back.

John sighed and ran a hand down his face. "You know, whenever I text Mycroft to tell him that you haven't slept or eaten in so long he _always _comes" John said. "Might take a while sometimes, but he always gets here"

"Well that's his job isn't it?" Sherlock asked with confusion; he wasn't too familiar with the conventional family dynamics "he is the elder brother so it is his job to worry, I am the younger so it is my job to let him and to annoy him"

John just looked wild-eyed and speechless for a moment. "Well then your definition isn't complete" he finally said. "Sometimes it can work the other way, sometimes Mycroft needs you to show that _you _care about _him"_

"Really?" Sherlock said scrunching up his nose; he wasn't particularly fond of this new concept.

"Yes" John breathed "Like I said, Mycroft may not say it out loud but he always shows that he cares about you, in fact he _told_ me…"

"_Told_ you?" Sherlock repeated, now giving his friend his full attention.

"When I first met Mycroft he told me that he worried about you, _constantly_" John said "And I've always wondered if he was being sarcastic or if it was just because he had something to gain but…I think it's because he_ genuinely_ worries and he cares about you"

Sherlock considered this for a moment and again John thought he had won, but as always Sherlock had to rain on his metaphorical parade.

"Well he has always been a bit of a drama queen" the younger Holmes said "For someone who is not found of feelings he can get so emotional sometimes"

John sighed; he gave up. "Well, I'm going" he said, grabbing his jacket and pulling it on "Maybe Mycroft will listen to a doctor's advice…"

"Oh please" Sherlock scoffed "Mycroft is as much likely to listen to you as he is to our mother, which is never by the way" he claimed "And I don't see why Anthea would think he'd listen to _me_ either…"

"Well, you'll never know" John said as he put his phone in his pocket.

"Never know what?" Sherlock asked with a frown.

John paused, and then smiled dangerously to himself. Oh, he knew how much Sherlock hated not knowing.

"Well, I just mean that if you don't even try to talk to Mycroft you'll never know if you could have been the one to change his mind or not" John said with a shrug of nonchalance "but if you don't care…"

"Hang on…" Sherlock butted in "Is that a challenge?" he asked.

"I'm not saying it's anything" John said innocently "Anyway, I'm going now" he turned to leave.

"Wait" Sherlock said sharply, his tone suggesting he was now both intrigued and embarrassed. "I'll…" he rolled his eyes "I'll come with you"

"Good" John smiled.

"But I want you to know it's not because you convinced me or because I'm worried" Sherlock said as he jumped from his seat and pointed at John "It's simply because I want Anthea to stop bothering me and having to hide my phone is the most inconvenient solution"

"Right" John said with a smug smile, indicating her clearly didn't believe Sherlock at all and the detective just scowled at him. "I'll go haul a cab then, shall I?" the doctor said and left the flat.

Sherlock went to the kitchen and grabbed his coat and scarf from the back of the chair. He pulled the garments on and then scanned the rest of the kitchen. Ah yes, Mrs Hudson had brought them up a homemade cake earlier on, currently sitting on the counter in all its glory._ Not our housekeeper indeed_ Sherlock thought as he snatched up the box containing the cake and then went to meet John downstairs.

"Why are you bringing that with you?" the doctor asked just as a taxi pulled over.

"Mycroft is even sulkier than usual when he's hungry" Sherlock explained "And I know how to get around my brother"

John wasn't exactly so what to say to that, so he and Sherlock silently climbed into the back of the cab and headed through the busy streets of London to Mycroft's house.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys! Wow, 4 reviews, thank you so much :D They make me really happy, and I'm so glad to know you are enjoying ^_^ Here we have the rest of the story, and I hope you still like it. I'm almost certain there is some Out of Character stuff here, so I'm sorry if you don't like that, but I hope you enjoy :)**

**Another review would be great, but thank you also to my silent readers, love ya all! Xx**

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"Okay, here's what's going to happen…" Sherlock said assertively as he and John walked up the driveway to Mycroft's overpowering home in the fairly rural setting. "You distract Anthea, or rather she'll distract you because she's a pretty woman and from what I understand that turns you into a garbling mess" he stated, and John just rolled his eyes, not having the patience to argue right now. "Meanwhile I will talk to Mycroft which will probably result in a lot of yelling and we will be promptly kicked out after doing more harm than good"

"Oh, could you be even _more optimistic_ please?" John said sarcastically as he knocked on the door.

"There's nothing to be optimistic about, I assure you I've done all the right calculations" Sherlock said haughtily and John just sighed and shook his head.

"Ah, Gentlemen" Anthea said with a sleek smirk as she opened the door "I knew you'd crack eventually" she said looking Sherlock up and down in a rather unimpressed fashion "Although I was close to going and dragging you down here myself"

"Mm, no, that would mean actually putting your phone down" Sherlock glared back and Anthea scoffed in disbelief.

"Ladies, please" John said raising his hands to show peace, and Sherlock shot him a look. "We are all here for Mycroft" he reminded them. "Where is he, anyway?" he asked Anthea.

"Where he has been for nearly the past four days, his study" Anthea said as she finally stepped away and led them inside. "There are some important peace-talks going on at the moment and Mr Holmes has been making various phone calls, arranging meetings, going through all the paper work, and I'm telling you know there's a hell of a lot of it" she informed them as they headed through the largely wooden house.

"And he hasn't slept at all for three days?" John inquired. Sherlock rolled his eyes; he just wanted to get this over with.

"Not as far as I'm aware" Anthea replied after shooting Sherlock a look which was as piercing as daggers "and I'm almost certain he hasn't eaten either" she said worriedly. "I've tried to make him take a break but he is my boss, there's only so much arguing with him I can do"

"So you called in the cavalry" Sherlock said as he placed his hands behind his back "I can argue with Mycroft as much as I want"

"Actually, I thought you might care about brother's health" Anthea snapped "How stupid of me that was"

"And how about you?" John but in as Sherlock opened his mouth for a probably less than elegant retort "Have you been getting enough rest, Anthea?"

"Ah yes, I forgot you know me as that" She said absentmindedly before adding "Yes I'm fine, Mr Holmes isn't a slavedriver despite what his brother might think" she looked at Sherlock "I've had my usual breaks and I've gone home every night." They finally stopped outside Mycroft's study "Don't upset him" she said to Sherlock firmly.

The consulting detective sighed "How else am I supposed to get him to listen to me?" Anthea just scowled again.

"Come on, Anthea" John urged "you must need a break too. Tea?"

"Yes…good idea" she said looking Sherlock up and down once more before leading John to the kitchen.

As they left, John turned to give Sherlock a look of warning telling him to tread carefully. Sherlock just shrugged and John rolled his eyes and looked away.

Sherlock paused outside the door for a moment and could hear his brother rustling papers about inside the room. He sighed, and with the cake still clutched under his arm, he flung the door open without even knocking first.

"Stop whatever you're doing!" Sherlock commanded as he stormed into the room.

Mycroft looked up startled for a moment, but when he saw it was only his pesky little brother he sighed and went back to rummaging through the stacks of paper which had been spread out so barely any of the top of the politician's desk was visible.

Mycroft did look considerably unlike himself. There appeared to be heavy bags forming under his eyes, his skin seemed almost a shade paler than usual and his hair was a little more dishevelled. Although his tie still appeared straight and presentable, Mycroft's jacket has been disregarded a long time ago, and his waistcoat seemed a little out of place, with his shirt sleeves rolled up to just above his elbows. Sherlock didn't remember the last time he had seen Mycroft so flustered.

Not happy about being ignored, Sherlock placed the cake tin down on an empty chair and went to snatch the papers Mycroft was currently holding out of his hands.

"Sherlock!" The older Holmes said sharply.

"Mycroft!" the younger Holmes imitated him childishly.

Mycroft sighed and ran a hand down his face "Sherlock, I really do not have time for this" he said calmly; at least his steady tone and articulation were unchanged. "You can't just barge in here and tell me what to do!" he snapped.

"Yes I can, I'm your little brother, annoying you is what I do" Sherlock argued as his gaze levelled with his brother's; he was determined not to break first. "Besides you just waltz in to my flat all the time…"

"Normally because I am in need of assistance" Mycroft said as he snatched the papers back from Sherlock "but I do _not _remember asking you to come down here and…"

"When did you last eat?" Sherlock interrupted, tilting his head to the side a little.

Mycroft shook his head in confusion "I beg your pardon?"

"You heard me" Sherlock said as he dramatically flopped down into the chair opposite his brother's desk "When did you last have a proper meal?"

"I…well I…" Mycroft sighed and ran a hand down his face.

"Oh, please don't tell me this diet of yours has turned into some silly teenage girl thing" Sherlock jabbed, and could only pray that his tone did not betray him of any amount of concern.

"No, of course not!" Mycroft retorted, shocked Sherlock would even suggest such a thing "I have to say I've lost track of time, that's all" he confessed.

Good, they were getting somewhere Sherlock decided.

"Well that's not like you at all, hypocrite" Sherlock said "You nag me about not eating all the time and yet here you are, three days without food and ready to collapse no doubt"

"It's this one time, Sherlock" Mycroft said as he sat down, shakily, Sherlock noted. "And I am not about to collapse, I know what my body can take"

Sherlock raised an eyebrow "Cleary" he said "You're usually as steady as a rock and yet those papers you're holding seem to be quivering an awful lot" he observed.

Mycroft glared at him coldly before placing the papers down and folding his hands neatly in his lap, out of Sherlock's line of sight.

"You expect me to believe you came all this way because _you_ _care _about _my_ well-being?" Mycroft asked clearly not believing this charade at all.

"Well, I've been told I should give it a try" Sherlock said, thinking back to John's earlier words "So far I'm not seeing what the appeal is"

"Caring is not an advantage" Mycroft agreed distantly.

"Yes" Sherlock said, assessing his brother's sullen gaze "and yet you inadvertently show you care for me all the time." To his surprise, Mycroft didn't interrupt to argue, so Sherlock went on. "If this were the other way around you would be down to Baker Street like a shot, lecturing me about eating and then sending me off to bed. So… I suppose that it's only fair I return the favour this once and _only_ thing once" he stressed. "This better not become a regular thing" and that time there was the almost undetectable hint of concern in Sherlock's tone.

Mycroft smiled delicately "Yes well, that's my job as your older brother Sherlock, It's an obligation really"

"That's what I said, John disagreed" Sherlock sulked, and Mycroft let out a hint of a laugh. "I brought something…" Sherlock said as he picked up the cake and showed it to Mycroft, who much to his surprise appeared uninterested "Mrs Hudson made it this morning, fruit and nut, that's your favourite isn't it?"

"Perhaps" Mycroft said as he rested his elbows on his desk and propped his chin on his clasped together hands.

"Well…I haven't eaten all day either you see" Sherlock said innocently; he decided the guilt tactic was best now, ever since they were children he was often able to guilt Mycroft "So…I'll eat if you eat? Or do you want to watch your baby brother starve?"

Mycroft seemed to consider this for a moment. "I suppose…if it would be doing you a service" he finally said.

"Good" Sherlock said as he conveniently pulled two forks out of his pocket.

Mycroft reached for one. "Wait a moment…" he said, and pulled back "Is this just so you can tease me about my diet?" he asked suspiciously.

Sherlock sighed; he really just wanted his brother to eat for once, but he could never say that to Mycroft out loud.

"No" was all Sherlock said, and it sounded like the most sincere he had been the whole time.

"Alright then" Mycroft said, taking a fork, and the two brothers started to pick at the delicious desert together.

"What _exactly _are you working on anyway?" Sherlock asked after a while as he sat back and tapped his fork against his fingers.

"I can't tell you" Mycroft said as he took another bite.

"What, or else you'd have to kill me?" Sherlock said in a mocking tone.

"No, I just simply don't want to" Mycroft said with a smug grin and Sherlock just rolled his eyes.

Eventually with nearly over half the cake gone – clearly neither brother realising how hungry they truly were – they decided to call it quits.

"Right, bed time then" Sherlock said in a tone of mock cheeriness.

"No, I'm not done yet" Mycroft said.

"Getting you to eat is only fixing half the problem" Sherlock claimed "I said I'd get you to sleep too"

"Well I can't I…" Mycroft started to protest and then let out a badly timed yawn.

"Wrong" Sherlock said firmly. "You're going to bed and then you're not doing any work tomorrow"

"And how can you be so sure?" Mycroft asked.

"I have my ways" Sherlock said, poising his fingers together "Just like you I have my ways, and I'll know"

"Anthea?" Mycroft suggested.

Sherlock scoffed "No, she wouldn't help me. But if you don't go up to bed in the next ten seconds I will be forced to stay up with you all night, and do you know I just solved the most _boring _murder, perhaps you'd like to know all the details? It started off with…"

"You know, perhaps you are right" Mycroft interrupted him "Perhaps the rest would do me good"

"Of course…" Sherlock said as he rose from his seat along with his brother "and I do hope this is a turning point for you taking better care of yourself, brother mine. You don't need to put all the worry on me all the time and forget about yourself"

"Mmm, if it means avoiding your incessant rambling then yes, I think it is" Mycroft quipped with a soft smile, a gesture which Sherlock found himself returning.

The brothers left the study – Sherlock locking the door and hiding the key just to be on the safe side – and headed to the staircase. John and Anthea had just left to see how the Holmes' were getting on and so they crossed paths.

"Going to bed, sir?" Anthea asked slightly surprised.

"Yes, and you too should head home for some rest, and take the day off tomorrow" Mycroft said.

Anthea nodded once "Thank you, sir"

"I will call you tomorrow; brother" Sherlock said as Mycroft started to head up the stairs "Wouldn't want you to have deceived me"

"Yes, yes" Mycroft said waving his hand tiredly. He paused suddenly and turned around "Sherlock…" his brother gave him his full attention. "Thank you" he said sincerely.

Sherlock rolled his eyes "Oh please don't get soppy now" he said, but they could all see the small smile tugging at his lips.

After that, Mycroft disappeared upstairs and John, Sherlock and Anthea headed out the house together.

"I want updates on his condition for the rest of the week" Sherlock requested. Despite what he had said earlier about Anthea not helping him, he knew she cared about Mycroft.

"Oh, yeah and why is that?" Anthea said with a smug smile; she knew and she just wanted to hear him say it.

"Because I…" Sherlock started brashly and then looked down at his feet "Worry about him…" he mumbled lowly and then strode ahead.

"Constantly" John added with a smile to Anthea and she gave a low chuckle of approval.

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**Please read! So as you can tell I love writing about Sherlock and Mycroft, but I often find it hard to come up with ideas. So, if you have any prompts or ideas for stories about the brothers then I would love to know! I'm really interested in doing one of those '5 times…. And 1 time….' stories, so yeah any ideas would be great :) **


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